Wohaula means “I have survived” in mandarin. It is a project initiated by survivors, families, and caregivers affected by stroke. Its purpose is to promote peer to peer information sharing.

“Hand in Hand” is not intended to artificially cheer you up or to inspire you. Nor will we ever promise you solutions. But we are adults capable of dealing with realities and real problems.

There are many survivors and caregivers. We can learn a lot from each other. No one will judge you by what you are expressing. That is why we built Wohaula, where we freely discuss the issues we have. Wohaula is a safe and private environment for stroke survivors and caregivers.

I had a life-altering stroke March 21, 2012. It was the day after my 52nd birthday.

At first, I was in the hospital for 4 days. Then I was transferred to a rehab hospital where I stayed for almost 6 weeks before being discharged with a walker. I went back to work in late August. I started with a few days a week, then 20 hours per week, and in 2016, 24 hours a week. My hope is that one day, I will go back full time again.

It took me a while to realize that the “old me” might never come back. That acknowledgement has been a revelation and a relief. As part of the “new me” I started facilitating a local stroke support group. I helped stroke organizations to raise funds by participating in a stroke walk. I even set up 2 facebook pages that relate to stroke. One is called “Second Chance Stroke Survivors” and the other is called “Second Chance Stroke Survivors – St. Louis Chapter”. I am proud of who I have become!

I want every stroke survivor to know that you do not need to sit at home. There are things you can do to help yourself and other survivors. There are wonderful resources available. Little things you do can make a big difference to you and your family.

One of the best resources for stroke survivors is Wohaula.net. I encourage everyone to consider becoming a part of Wohaula. Wohaula is an online platform just launched to make it a lot easier for survivors and caregivers to mingle with each other and to share helpful information in a safe environment. You can find specialty groups to join.You can also participate in their discussions. For someone facilitating groups, Wohaula provides a very easy to use interface to store your collected information that benefits you and your group members. Your information in Wohaula can also be shared with other groups.

Kenny had a great life prior to his stroke. He was working as a police officer in San Francisco in charge of training. Also, he was thriving as a stand-up comedian. He had a big house, a nice car, and a Harley Davidson. Kenny was living his American Dream.

In 2008 Kenny left the gym. He had a brain Aneurysm while driving home. While driving, he called 911 and went into a coma.

Kenny woke up two weeks later. When he was fighting for his life, the priest was called in. No one thought Kenny would make it.

After waking up, Kenny soon decided that he would live life to the fullest.

The road to recovery is challenging. His ex-wife left him in a panic. He was in a wheelchair for over a year. His right side was paralyzed. But Kenny was determined to face all these challenges with a positive attitude towards life. Miraculously, he has not only, in his own words, “recovered 90%”, he has also found his true love in life. He is now back on the performing stage doing stand-up comedy again.